Thank You For Being There
by Crow Skyler
Summary: Alec reminisces about his horse after the great stallion's passing. From the POV of Bill Lee, mostly.


…Thank You for Being There  
  
  
  
Agent Q  
  
  
  
Summary: Alec reminisces about his horse after the great stallion's passing, but from the POV of Bill Lee. Short an' bittersweet.  
  
  
  
* * *  
  
  
  
Hopeful Farm, the sight of many a long day's work. Green, lush, and all the staff and owners dedicated to the 'art' of raising the perfect racing horse. A white filly, Sunspot, was getting her workout from the elderly owner, Henry Dailey, and she was nervous.  
  
Prancing nimbly, dainty muscles, good for a Horse Show but not on the track, Henry mused. He watched her, smiling, as she shied away from a car pulling up. This was no surprise: Henry knew who was in the blue car.  
  
Bill Lee's head emerged, and then his spindly legs. The man was a regular Daddy Longleg, and it was always odd to watch him get out of his small car. Bill smiled and waved at Henry.  
  
"Henry!" He said. "Where's Alec?"  
  
The man in question nodded towards the distant creek. "Over there, gettin' Satan warmed up for the day!"  
  
Bill nodded his thanks, setting off towards the distant figure of a man and a giant black horse. Henry sighed, sad, as he watched his friend. Every day he spent a lot of time in the more distant pastures, sometimes at night, just to get away from the constant flow of not-scheduled visitors that graced the farm. He was hiding, and it wasn't just from the visitors…  
  
*  
  
Bill waved as he neared the two. "Alec! It's me, Bill Lee!"  
  
The man with sandy hair and receding freckles looked up…eye's temporarily lighting up. "Bill!" He let the giant horse's halter go and went to meet his friend. Satan watched them intently.  
  
"Sure could!" Bill smiled. They hugged lightly, and Bill looked at Satan admirably. "So, this is Satan. The Black's first colt?"  
  
"Yep." Pride in Alec's voice, Bill noted.  
  
"He's amazing. All speed and endurance." He said, watching Satan's every slight move. The great stallion stared right back intelligently.  
  
"He's our only breeding stallion of the Old Kind after…" He mumbled off, then looked up at Bill again. "So, what is this honor of your visit for?"  
  
"Henry called me. I'm a Psychiatrist, Alec, not a warlord. You need someone to talk to…I can be him."  
  
Alec smiled at his friend slightly. "I don't know if I can talk. It's just so…foreign. Talking about what you really feel like…when it comes out, it sounds silly."  
  
"I won't laugh," Bill assured him. "I promise you right now: I won't laugh."  
  
Satan pranced, watching the distant workout of Sunspot interestedly. She was his mare, and it was clear he wanted to get to her…but Alec held the lead, so he just watched her.  
  
"Alright…can we go inside or something?"  
  
"Whatever you want to do, Alec."  
  
*  
  
"Alec—as I said, Henry called me. He's been worried."  
  
The other man sighed. "He worries too much."  
  
"You're a jock, Alec, and he's always keeping an eye on you and those horses of yours." Bill's voice was soft, comforting. Alec surrendered to it, sighing.  
  
"I just…keep having memories of when the Black was around. We used to have these…special workouts in the morning…right by the creek."  
  
"So that's why you go there with Satan?"  
  
"Yeah," Alec nodded. "He's just like his Dad in many ways. Just more…tame."  
  
"And you can have him for a pet," Bill said thoughtfully, "now that his racing days are over."  
  
There was a silence with Alec as he loosened a few nuts and bolts, just as Bill wanted him to. Alec needed to talk to someone.  
  
"Yes…I want a horse to be with, every day…I remembered yesterday the adventures me an' the Black had. We went everywhere! Chicago, Arabia, China…"  
  
"You had a full life," Bill observed. "Is that it? You want those adventures again?"  
  
Alec nodded. "Yes—but I know whenever I look out at the Black's pasture that I can never have the same kind, because the horse that spawned them is gone." His eyes closed, fighting a secret pain he'd kept locked up for some time.  
  
"You can tell Lisa about it," Bill noted. "She's worried about you."  
  
Alec smiled at the thought of his girlfriend. "I know—she's very supportive of the farm and me. I almost feel like I don't deserve her."  
  
Bill watched as he pulled a baseball cap on, watching the clock. "I've got to go an' work Triumph out, Bill." He said, getting up.  
  
"I'll go with you."  
  
*  
  
The morning went at a lazy pace, and Alec worked out two of Satan's colts: Triumph and Splat. The latter had been named after his odd birth…which needed no explaining. As Bill watched Alec with his colts, he observed how drawn Alec was with them. He was critiquing them more than usual, fussing over a slight detail. Henry joined Bill and they watched at the fence of the pasture.  
  
"See what I mean?" Henry asked.  
  
"Yes," Bill nodded. "He opened up somewhat in the house. Henry," he turned more fully towards the elderly man, "he needs excitement. With the Black he had a sprinkle of it every once in a while. But now, with only the farm, he just sits here with his horses."  
  
Henry nodded thoughtfully. "Yeah—he definitely needs somethin'," Suddenly, his eyes lit up. "I know! What about our race in Spain? He can go there!"  
  
"No, no, you miss the point. Alec wants to go somewhere with the Black."  
  
"That's impossible, y'know."  
  
"I do know it, Henry."  
  
*  
  
Alec watched them at the fence. He heard part of the conversation, and couldn't decide what to make of it. It was just like the movies, watching someone talk to another a short distance away and thinking the other character couldn't hear 'em. But Alec could, and it confused him.  
  
I want the Black again, He told himself, but that's impossible. I guess I just have to get used to it.  
  
His sorrowful heart was glad, for a moment, as the sun broke through the clouds like a ray of hope. Yes, he would breed a horse like the Black. They had Satan and some very fine mares. Sunspot and Satan's colt, Tristar, had been a wonderful colt. But he'd died in his first winter.  
  
The next colt would be the Black's ancestor, the one who would carry the crown.  
  
*  
  
Three months later, after careful consideration, Alec witnessed the birth of Tristar—and his dream lived again.  
  
"Thank you, Black, for all the fun." Alec said to himself with a smile.  
  
_________________________  
  
Hope y'all liked it! In case you're wondering, the colt is Tristar Jr. I may write some fiction about him in the future. Until then, see y'all!  
  
Agent Q 


End file.
